This fire station in Avondale Estates is in need of repair, but the contract for the repairs hasn’t been executed. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

The DeKalb County Commission in January approved awarding a contract to renovate a fire station in Avondale Estates.

More than a month later, the contract hasn’t been executed, Decaturish has learned.  Nothing is happening at the fire station. About 80 percent of the fire station’s service area is outside of Avondale Estates. The fire station is in the heart of the city’s downtown, on Clarendon Avenue, and the project has been talked about for years.

County spokesman Burke Brennan said he checked on the contract and learned that the project is experiencing even more delays.

“This is normally due to some issue with bonding and/or insurance with the winning contractor,” Brennan said. “We expect it to be resolved soon.”

Avondale Estates City Manager Clai Brown and Mayor Ed Rieker both declined to comment when Decaturish informed them about the latest development.

Fire station No. 3 was built in the 1940s and is outdated. There’s only one shower in the garage for both male and female firefighters and some of the storage shed isn’t safe enough for the firefighters to use. The exterior of the building is rough around the edges, with chunks missing from the roof and beams sticking out.

DeKalb County awarded the $1.9 million contract to Lichty Commercial Construction in Newnan, Ga. The project is being funded with federal money.